Betrayed by Innocence

I saw this film when it first was released on television. I thought it was going to be another sensationalist film that blamed the problems of all teenage girls younger than 18 years old on older men and brainwashed the public into believing that all sex crimes against teenage female minors are committed by older men. However, this movie really surprised me in a sense that it distanced itself from any of such tactics. As a matter of fact, this movie even appears to question the fairness of the age of consent laws throughout the United States of America. It was 1986 that this movie was released, which was only a few years after the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children was founded and pedophile panic politics was beginning to become wired into the cultural fabric of American society. Yet this movie stood tall in keeping itself free from any such misleading influences. It was about real people like you and me with real problems. It has been years since I've seen this movie. From what I recall, Barry Botswick plays a 40-something-year-old movie director in Southern California who is married (wife played by Lee Purcell) and has an 18-year-old daughter in college. He has everything to be happy about in life, but his marriage is less than perfect. He meets a young girl (played by Cristen Kauffman), believing that she is over the age of 18. He and this girl eventually become intimate with one another. Unbeknownst to him, this girl is only 16 years old and her father is a cop (played by Paul Sorvino). Her father eventually finds out about the liaison and zeroes in on Barry Botswick, and, boy, does he make a melodramatic entrance upon confronting the 40-something-old man who had bedded his underage daughter and arresting him on charges of statutory rape. It is no secret that the father wants to really put the shaft to the man who messed around with his 16-year-old daughter and send him up the river for a long, long time. Probably most people would think that the father was so immersed in his own rage that he becomes insensitive to his daughter's feelings and her wishes for him to let the matter go, because, after all, nobody put a gun to her head to have sex with this older man despite that she was 2 years shy of the legal age of consent and she shows her maturity upon admitting so. However, you cannot really feel any resentment towards the young girl's father, because you can always see that he just wants to protect his daughter from the ills of the world and defend her honor. At the same time, you know that the 40-something-year-old man who had an affair with the cop's daughter is not a bad person and doesn't even come close to being another Joey Buttafuoco. When the statutory rape trial proceeds, it's like a no- win situation for everyone who is involved. I must admit that despite that this movie was supposed to be about a serious subject, I found myself laughing at a scene in which Barry Botswick goes to the young girl's house after he is released from jail on bond, and he speaks to Paul Sorvino. He says to him, "I know you want to punch me out, but I really need to talk to you." Paul Sorvino then makes a facial expression as though Barry Botswick has just read his mind. If you get the chance to see this movie, do not waste your time on "News At Eleven" starring Martin Sheen, which also came out in 1986 and was also a film with a "statutory rape" scenario. "News At Eleven" makes too much of an effort to put good tags and bad tags on each character. "Betrayed By Innocence" shows both the good points and bad points of each character, including the father of the 16-year-old girl, which is how a movie should be.

This movie was absolutely disgusting! the biggest plot hole in this movie was this ,very Bostwick sees this underage girl he thinks she's she's 21 he meets her at a bar, has a drink ,the waiter asked for her ID which she presents, they continue to talk and date. Next thing you know they're having an affair and her father finds out, gets his license plate number number and tells him my daughter's 16! He goes on trial goes to court for statutory rape, NOOO let's roll it back a bit! FIRST of all when he's on the stand they asked him well you didn't think it was suspicious when the waiter asked her for her ID he said of course not, because she presented her ID as 21 and bought the drink! That right there there should not have been a movie based on this! if he went out with her she had an ID that said she was 21 years old and she's in clubs dressed and looking like she's 30 this should not have ever been the case to begin with! It was just really disgusting and stupid! This should have never went to trial ! she even pretended to be a student at a college! When they were at dinner he looked at her she gave the waiter the ID right there so he should have had no doubt in his mind that she was legal age I love Barry Bostwick, but this movie absolutely stunk. Go after the real Predators out here that does know the age of the young girls and don't care,not someone who was tricked into thinking the girl was 21! Need I reiterate they met at a down bar and then he went to see her on a college campus. He should have never been charged! I don't know how this movie was ever even to go forward with this huge hole in the script.

But this movie really doled out heapings of ICK. I do feel the actors did well, and the 80s California scenery was nice to see.

However the interactions towards the end of the movie between Nick and Mike were just too wildly unrealistic and uncomfortable to watch.

Betrayed by Innocence (1986) is a made-for-TV drama that delivers a quiet but impactful story rooted in emotional tension and moral complexity. With a plot that unfolds gradually, the film focuses on the devastating consequences of misplaced trust and the ripple effects of decisions made in the heat of the moment.

The performances, especially from the lead cast, are sincere and grounded, giving depth to characters who are caught in a web of personal and legal dilemmas. The direction keeps a steady pace, allowing viewers to absorb the weight of the story without resorting to melodrama.

Visually, the film embraces the aesthetic of '80s television cinema - functional, focused on storytelling rather than flashy production. While it may feel dated in style, its themes remain surprisingly relevant, especially in how it portrays vulnerability and accountability.

Overall, Betrayed by Innocence may not be widely known, but it stands as a compelling drama that rewards patience with a heartfelt narrative and solid performances. It's worth watching for fans of courtroom or family-centered dramas with a moral core.